The Science of Meditation

October 25, 2017

Meditations Effect on the Brain

Meditation has been recognised for its health and wellbeing benefits for thousands of years, and now there is a plethora of science to prove it. With the help of advanced technologies such as FMRI and EEG’s, the ancient practice of meditation is receiving great praise in neurological circles.

Recent findings in the 2017 study conducted by neuroscientists from the Max Planck Institute of Human Cognitive Brain Sciences in Germany, discovered that meditation does more than reducing stress and promoting calmness; it actually reshapes the physical regions of the brain! These changes could be witnessed after just 3 months of meditation. The region developed depended on the intention of the meditation (whether that is breathing, chanting or visualisations). For example, meditation that focuses on breathing and releasing tension resulted in a thickening of the prefrontal cortex – the region of the brain in charge of decision making and problem solving.

Whether you sit with your eyes closed for 20 minutes every morning or squeeze in 5 minutes in your weekly yoga class, science has validated that there are some pretty good reasons to jump on the meditation bandwagon today.